Happy Publication Day to Gerardo Delgadillo!
Today, I’m excited to share this Q&A with Gerardo Delgadillo, author of the Fractalistic. This young adult novel is out in the world today and is published by The Parliament House.
Don’t forget to check out the awesome giveaway at the end of the post. 🙂
Q&A – Gerardo Delgadillo
Q: Who are your favorite authors?
A: John Green (best of the best YA contemporary author), John Scalzi (Sci-fi master and Jedi), and Junot Diaz (his prose is insane, and he intertwines a LOT of Spanish that makes me laugh like an idiot).
Q: Do you try to be more original or do you try to deliver readers what they want?
A: I try both because there are tropes you can’t avoid! In YA you must have romance and teen angst and whatnot.
Q: Tell us about your writing process and the way you brainstorm story ideas.
A: What writing process? Kidding. A novel starts with a spark, an idea that comes out of nowhere. Then, I twist that tiny idea to make it high concept—something
Q: When you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go?
A: I have NO idea who my characters are until I’ve written the first draft! On the second draft, I focus on character traits, consistency, etc. Fun, but, so much work. It is true what people say: The characters talk to you and tell you who they are!
Q: Where is your favorite place to write?
A: Coffee shops, coffee shops, and coffee shops. Sometimes, I try at home, but my fridge has super-powers and calls to me, “Food. Fooooooood. I have food, Master.” It’s like it has a life of its own. And don’t get me started on the TV!
Q: What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
A: Not being a person of the opposite sex? As writers we have to research and come up with ideas, etc. So writing a character from the opposite sex requires tons of research, and lots of hand slapping from your critique partners of the opposite sex.
Q: What was your hardest scene to write (without giving spoilers of course)?
A: In general, poignant scenes based on personal experiences. In Fractalistic, the hardest scene was [spoiler alert] … and that’s why it was SO hard!
Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A: I write mostly standalone novels—doesn’t mean I’ll write a series in the future. Who knows…
Q: How many hours a day do you write?
A: Two hours—keeps the writing muscle strong and happy.
Q: How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
A: Too many! Actually, I lost count, but I’d say, um, seven going on eleven? Three of them are horrendous pieces I’ll never revisit!
Synopsis
After moving to Mexico with her parents, Winter Gutan had been hoping the local alternative medicine doctor would cure her mother’s illness. When her mother does not survive his controversial treatments, Winter’s life spirals in despair. Her father, a software engineer, insists his computer program, Fractalistic, will enable them to communicate with her mother’s spirit. But as his sanity begins to slip, Winter confides in her friend Rafa, a computer wizard, who tells her he’s found information about using fractal technology to treat false memories—nothing paranormal about it, leaving Winter confused and without hope. Will she lose her mother forever?
Suspecting her dad is hiding a deep secret, Winter runs Fractalistic behind his back, unveiling a sea of computer-generated imagery swirling on the screen. Her mother appears to her…begging for help! But is this all just Winter’s imagination?
Fractalistic may enable Winter to communicate with her deceased mother, but it might also unleash more mysterious memories buried within Winter’s mind. To figure it all out, Winter must hack into her father’s system to uncover a horrifying truth…or remain in the dark forever.
About the Author
Hello! I’m Gerardo Delgadillo. Originally from San Francisco and raised in Mexico, I live in the Dallas metropolitan area, which means, my house is somewhere in a distant suburb nobody’s heard of.
My stories gravitate around fifteen-to-seventeen-year-olds, venturing into Mexico, or living in Mexico. I consider my writing contemporary and realistic. Well, as realistic as it can be. Truth to be told, real life can be quite boring.
I spend my days writing, either at my day job coding high-tech software, OR typing YA novels surrounded by lots of caffeine.
GIVEAWAY
Thanks so much for the interview!
Thank YOU for the opportunity!